Month 11. The guest book
Nino shows me the family guest book. For thirty years, every guest of the house has written something in it, in every language.
Today: "I have seen, I have read, I have eaten".
LIMBA audio course · Georgian
Hear it, then say it: learn to speak Georgian
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
1Sam’s diary
2Dialogue
Nino
სემ, ეს ჩვენი სტუმრების წიგნია. აქ ყველა სტუმარს რაღაც დაუწერია.sem, es chveni st'umrebis ts'ignia. ak q'vela st'umars raghats dauts'eria.Sam, this is our guest book. Every guest has written something in it.
Sam
ვაი! ეს ვის დაუწერია?vai! es vis dauts'eria?Wow! Who wrote this?
Nino
ეს იუკის, იაპონელ გოგოს დაუწერია. მას აქ ქართული ცეკვა უსწავლია.es iuk'is, iap'onel gogos dauts'eria. mas ak kartuli tsek'va usts'avlia.Yuki wrote it, a Japanese girl. She learned Georgian dancing here.
Sam
და ეს?da es?And this one?
Nino
ეს ჩემს მასწავლებელს დაუწერია. მას აქ ბებოს ხაჭაპური უჭამია და ლექსი დაუწერია!es chems masts'avlebels dauts'eria. mas ak bebos khach'ap'uri uch'amia da leksi dauts'eria!My teacher wrote this one. He ate Bebo's khachapuri here and wrote a poem!
Sam
მეც დავწერ რამეს. აქ ბევრი რამ მინახავს და მისწავლია.mets davts'er rames. ak bevri ram minakhavs da mists'avlia.I'll write something too. I've seen and learned a lot of things here.
Nino
და ხაჭაპური? ხაჭაპური ხომ ბევრჯერ გიჭამია!da khach'ap'uri? khach'ap'uri khom bevrjer gich'amia!And khachapuri? You've eaten khachapuri lots of times!
Sam
ასჯერ მაინც! დავწერ: „ამ სახლში ყველაზე გემრიელი ხაჭაპური მიჭამია“.asjer maints! davts'er: „am sakhlshi q'velaze gemrieli khach'ap'uri mich'amia“.At least a hundred times! I'll write: "In this house, I have eaten the most delicious khachapuri."
3New words
| Georgian | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| სტუმრების წიგნი | st'umrebis ts'igni | guest book |
| დაუწერია | dauts'eria | he/she has written |
| უსწავლია | usts'avlia | he/she has learned |
| უჭამია | uch'amia | he/she has eaten |
| ბევრი რამ | bevri ram | a lot of things |
| მინახავს | minakhavs | I have seen |
| მისწავლია | mists'avlia | I have learned |
| გიჭამია | gich'amia | you have eaten |
| ასჯერ | asjer | a hundred times |
| მიჭამია | mich'amia | I have eaten |
How to read the pronunciation
The pronunciation is written in English letters, following Georgia’s official romanization. Say every letter: a as in father, e as in pet, i as in machine, o as in port, u as in rule; r is rolled; g is always hard; kh as in Scottish loch; gh a soft gargled g, like a French r; sh as in shop; zh like the s in pleasure; ch as in church; ts as in cats; dz as in adze; j as in jam. An apostrophe marks a “popped” consonant, said with a little click in the throat and no puff of air: k’, p’, t’, ts’, ch’, q’ (q’ is made deep in the throat). Without an apostrophe, k, p, t, ts, ch have a small puff of air. Use the Pronunciation button at the top to hide or show it.
4Grammar and explanations
The perfect of transitive verbs
In the perfect, transitive verbs turn round like მიყვარსmiq'vars: the doer goes into the dative and is shown in the verb with მm-, გg-, უu-, გვgv-. The thing done is in the nominative.
| see | read | eat | |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | მინახავსminakhavs | წამიკითხავსts'amik'itkhavs | მიჭამიაmich'amia |
| you | გინახავსginakhavs | წაგიკითხავსts'agik'itkhavs | გიჭამიაgich'amia |
| he/she | უნახავსunakhavs | წაუკითხავსts'auk'itkhavs | უჭამიაuch'amia |
| we | გვინახავსgvinakhavs | წაგვიკითხავსts'agvik'itkhavs | გვიჭამიაgvich'amia |
| you (pl.) | გინახავთginakhavt | წაგიკითხავთts'agik'itkhavt | გიჭამიათgich'amiat |
| they | უნახავთunakhavt | წაუკითხავთts'auk'itkhavt | უჭამიათuch'amiat |
ეს წიგნი წამიკითხავს.es ts'igni ts'amik'itkhavs.this book(NOM) I-have-readI have read this book.
სტუმარს ლექსი დაუწერია.st'umars leksi dauts'eria.guest(DAT) poem(NOM) has-writtenThe guest has written a poem.
Two endings: -ავსavs and -იაia
Some verbs end in -ავსavs (მინახავსminakhavs, წამიკითხავსts'amik'itkhavs, მითქვამსmitkvams), others in -იაia (მიჭამიაmich'amia, დამიწერიაdamits'eria, მისწავლიაmists'avlia, გამიკეთებიაgamik'etebia). Learn the perfect of each verb as you learn its aorist.
| aorist | perfect |
|---|---|
| ვნახეvnakhe (I saw) | მინახავსminakhavs (I have seen) |
| დავწერეdavts'ere (I wrote) | დამიწერიაdamits'eria (I have written) |
| ვთქვიvtkvi (I said) | მითქვამსmitkvams (I have said) |
| გავაკეთეgavak'ete (I did) | გამიკეთებიაgamik'etebia (I have done) |
| ვისწავლეvists'avle (I learned) | მისწავლიაmists'avlia (I have learned) |
When to use it
The perfect talks about experience or a result that counts now: ეს ფილმი გინახავსes pilmi ginakhavs? (Have you seen this film?). For a finished action at a known time, use the aorist: გუშინ ეს ფილმი ვნახეgushin es pilmi vnakhe (I saw this film yesterday).
5Good to know
Three cases for one doer: ნინო წერდაnino ts'erda (was writing: nominative), ნინომ დაწერაninom dats'era (wrote: ergative), ნინოს დაუწერიაninos dauts'eria (has written: dative). Lesson 126 puts the three side by side.
6Exercises
Choose an answer for each question, then press Check my answers. Score 70% or more and the lesson is ticked on your course map.
- "I have read this book" is…
- "The guest has written a poem" is…
- "Have you seen this film?" is…
- "I have eaten" is…
- "They have seen" is…
- "She has learned Georgian dancing" is…
- "I have done" is…
- "I saw this film yesterday" is…
- "We have read it" is…
- "a hundred times" is…
Well done! Lesson 122 is ticked on your course map.
Say it, then write it
Say your answer out loud, write it down, then open the model answer.
- Ask "Have you read this book?"
Show the answer
ეს წიგნი წაგიკითხავს?es ts'igni ts'agik'itkhavs? - Say "I have seen this film."
Show the answer
ეს ფილმი მინახავს.es pilmi minakhavs. - Say "Nino has written a letter."
Show the answer
ნინოს წერილი დაუწერია.ninos ts'erili dauts'eria. - Say "I have eaten khinkali many times."
Show the answer
ხინკალი ბევრჯერ მიჭამია.khink'ali bevrjer mich'amia. - Say "I have learned a lot here."
Show the answer
აქ ბევრი რამ მისწავლია.ak bevri ram mists'avlia.
Lesson finished? Now train your ear
Speak Georgian with the 37 LIMBA audio lessons
- 37 audio lessons
- about 13 minutes each
- explained in simple English
This written course gives you the grammar, the words and the script. The LIMBA audio course trains your ear and your mouth: you listen, you repeat, you answer — the perfect complement to these lessons.
Download the Georgian audio courseOrder form · your download link arrives by email▶ Listen to lesson 1 for free
Unit 13: The perfect: experience and hearsay B1
- 121Have you ever been...? ვყოფილვარvq'opilvar
- 122I have read, I have seen: the perfect
- 123Never, not yet: არar + the perfect
- 124It seems he has gone
- 125Apparently: თურმეturme
- 126Was writing, wrote, has written
- 127A Georgian folk tale
- 128Travel stories: Svaneti
- 129Polyphonic songs and dances
- 130Review: a travel blog